Should I move to Jacksonville? (Miami, Tampa: crime, neighborhood, schools)

[bugnbyke]

There are more jobs with corp. America in Jax than you realize...Wachovia, Stein Mart, Winn Dixie, Citi Corp....

[prim2007]

I have lived in Jacksonville and Atlanta and if I were going to experience a layoff, I'd rather be in Atlanta. There are a lot more job opportunities and better pay in Atlanta than what you're going to have in Jacksonville. Just check out the job opportunities for both cities on Monster or Career Builder and you will see what I mean. Plus large Jax employers like Winn Dixie, Stein Mart, and CSX have all been downsizing.

[BraveChloe]

St. Augustine is a tourist town.
I basically grew up there... Everyone will know you. Wal-Mart is basically the only store.
It has it's charm but is not somewhere to go unless you want to retire and do nothing.
I moved to Northern Virginia and want to move back to Florida but I will not go back to St. Augustine if I can help it.
Maybe Jax but other then that I'm jaded by my experience.
Don't let it do the same to you.

[jackb02129]

sorry but Tampa is barely surviving as a city (more "board ups" than "start ups") and Orlando is a series of theme parks surrounded slums with a incredibly high crime rate Jax has a little something for everyone check out Baymeadows, Mandarin, Avondale, Riverside or San Marco. I lived in Baymeadows for years. Plenty of stores , pubs, moderately priced restaurants,close to I 95 and 9A 20 mintutes to the beaches, thirty or so to St Augustine, or (in the other direction) Amelia Island, 20 minutes to a major international airport

[Lotusflower007]

The Artsey/ Historic side of jville is Riverside/Avondale/Murray Hill. If you are open minded, liberal, gay, artistic, etc then you'll fit right in. Otherwise go right to the beach. The downtown is trying. It's a actually nice. It's hot, polluted, northside has lots of violent crime. Lots of Jacksonville is ugly subdivision and over development on poorly plan traffic grid. Traffic is horrible. Lots
of baptist. Go to the springs! They are beautiful.

[jackb02129]

Originally Posted by Lotusflower007

The Artsey/ Historic side of jville is Riverside/Avondale/Murray Hill. If you are open minded, liberal, gay, artistic, etc then you'll fit right in. Otherwise go right to the beach. The downtown is trying. It's a actually nice. It's hot, polluted, northside has lots of violent crime. Lots of Jacksonville is ugly subdivision and over development on poorly plan traffic grid. Traffic is horrible. Lots
of baptist. Go to the springs! They are beautiful.

Lotus I'm not sure if you've had occasion to live in Atlanta, Orlando, or St Petersburg but compared to any of these Jacksonville traffic is a breath of fresh air. There are lots of baptists but then, this is the south.

I love avondale/riverside but I've always preferred southside/mandarin for the conveniences and low crime rate and plentiful amenities in the apartment complexes there.

[LA-VA-FL]

I just posted this in another thread- thought it might help you out too

Here are some links with pictures to some of the more "urban" neighborhoods in jax from metrojacksonville.com. Each neighborhood listed has its own vibe.

Riverside, San Marco, Riverwalk, Springfield, etc...

Metro Jacksonville - A Walk through Park & King

Metro Jacksonville - San Marco: A Walking Oasis in an Unwalkable City

Metro Jacksonville - A Springfield Photo Tour

Metro Jacksonville - Urban Neighborhoods: The Cathedral District

[parks71]

While I am sick of Jacksonville I will atleast stand up for whats not true. There are no "smells" other than coffee downtown in the mornings. The city is not loaded with jobs but what city is right now?

When we did have a lot of jobs, they are low paying compared to the average city but the cost of living wasnt too bad, now the cost of living is just as high if not higher than the average city and the wages are still low, much lower than Atlantas.

The spawl is huge in this city, HUGE. The crime is way out of control and this town is a blue collar town. The schools in Jacksonville are pathetic, Duval county anyway.

The upside is, lots of water, decent beachs, decent fishing if you like fishing, and not very cold winters but HOT HOT HOT summers.

I personally would much rather live in Tampa or somewhere south where it actually feels like florida and not south georgia.

[LA-VA-FL]

Originally Posted by parks71

While I am sick of Jacksonville I will atleast stand up for whats not true. There are no "smells" other than coffee downtown in the mornings. The city is not loaded with jobs but what city is right now?

When we did have a lot of jobs, they are low paying compared to the average city but the cost of living wasnt too bad, now the cost of living is just as high if not higher than the average city and the wages are still low, much lower than Atlantas.

The spawl is huge in this city, HUGE. The crime is way out of control and this town is a blue collar town. The schools in Jacksonville are pathetic, Duval county anyway.

The upside is, lots of water, decent beachs, decent fishing if you like fishing, and not very cold winters but HOT HOT HOT summers.

I personally would much rather live in Tampa or somewhere south where it actually feels like florida and not south georgia.

The crime is bad in certain areas, but not any more than other major cities. Saying it is way out of control is an overstatement. Compared to other 1st world countries, crime is way out of control for the U.S. as a whole. Don't single Jax out.

I notice in a couple posts you keep saying- "Jacksonville is south Georgia", and telling people to find a more "Florida" type city than Jax.

For one, many locals from NE Fl would take offense to that. Jax is Florida, there is nothing else to it. Geographically it is similar to Very South GA, but you could say that for every city/state. Does that mean NYC might as well be North Jersey? DC should be VA? no! Every place has their own identity. If green gulf water is "Florida" to you, then great. Just because this isn't the Florida that YOU want, doesn't mean you should make statements like that

[coolyfett]

Originally Posted by Kizzoom

I am currently living in Atlanta. I have been here for 4 years now and I`ve been having trouble finding a stable job. The jobs I have had last about 3 or 4 months then I get laid off. This has been going on with me for 4 years on and off. The longest job I had was 6 months. They make up excuses for the layoffs and I`m tired of it. I hate this place, I`m not going through this anymore. I`m looking to relocate to Jacksonville Fl. I have family that lives in South Fl and I`d like to be closer to them. However, I do not like South Fl I lived there for 15 years and hated it. It`s always TOO HOT in the winter. Can anyone tell me the real truth about that city? I want to know about the job market, cost of living, average salaries, neighborhoods, nightlife, (VEGETARIAN) resturants, weather, crime, and are there any democrats there? Or is everyone that lives there a conservative Southern Baptist? If Jacksonville is not the place for me then what city in Northern Fl is? I`d like to live near the water. I`m not interested in a College town like Gainsville I am 40 years old I have no kids and i`m single. Can somebody there hook me up with a job lead in Jacksonville? I`m interested in a job either working with people like sales, customer service, hospitality etc. or light industrial or even in the IT field I am A+ certified by trade but like I said I`m looking for the above fields Please advise me I would really apreciate it. [email]kizzoom@yahoo.com Thanks

The Truth.
Atlanta - bad job market
Jacksonville - better job market
Atlanta & Jacksonville cost of living is almost the same! Atlanta is/may be a lil cheaper.
Average salaries about the same.
Neighborhoods, Atlanta has those hills & valleys, Jacksonville is flat, both have subdivisions, a lot sprawl, what the Atlanta area calls a city, Jacksonville calls a neighborhood, Atlanta 22 counties, different rules for each, Jacksonville just 1 county with 3 on the boarders.
Nightlife is better in Atlanta, Jacksonville has some growing up to do in that department, but its not too bad. I give Atlanta an 8/10 & Jacksonville a 6/10.
Places to eat......I'm not so sure about that one.
Weather, it gets way hotter and colder in Atlanta, Jacksonville gets hot, but it also rains A LOT in Florida.
The Criminals in Atlanta are soft, petty thieves, bag snatchers & drug runners, Jacksonville's criminals are on par with Detroit & New Orleans, One Sheriff for the same area that has 19 Sheriffs/Comissioners of the Atlanta area. You should be fine if you mind your busy or if you live in a safe area.
Jax is a republican city. Hope that helps dude.